Not only in Germany are Gender and Good Governance subject of many discussions. Also in international development cooperation these so-called cross-cutting issues are of immense importance. It is for this reason that their inclusion and mainstreaming ought to be a requirement for modern, sustainable development policies. Their implementation is one of the challenges which determine the success of development projects.

In the Arabic region Egypt is one of the most important countries in economic, political and military terms. The country is a crucial partner in international development cooperation with the potential of becoming a role-model for the region. Therefore its approach to cross-cutting issues is of particular interest.

Having this in mind, we are delighted to welcome at f.ize a young delegation from the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC), the think tank of the Egyptian cabinet. IDSC conducts surveys and provides strategies for the prime minister and the Egyptian cabinet. It thus supports the government's work with research and consultancy work on a wide variety of issues concerning sustainable development. The group is on a study tour in Germany, which is part of a program supported by InWEnt – Capacity Building International.

In our discussion event, we would like to learn from the personal and professional experiences of our 20 guests of IDSC’s junior and middle management level in dealing with „Gender and Good Governance in Egypt“. As a short introduction Prof. Dr. Matthias Weiter – former head of the BMZ unit Regional Development Policies/Middle East – will introduce the conceptional view of German development cooperation on gender and good governance. This will offer a starting point for the subsequent exchange and discussion moderated by Ulrich Erhardt (denkmodell).

The evening will not follow the usual f.ize format as we will come together in a moderated, open “fish-bowl” discussion , which has the advantage that it allows the entire group to participate in the conversation.

The number of participants is limited to 20. Following the discussion, we will be hosting a small buffet. We kindly ask for your registration, including the questions you have on the subject and a few words on your motivation to participate, until 30th of November.

Some statements on the subject can be found here:

Gender:

Nadereh Chamlou believes women in the Middle East have an image problem - not with themselves but in how they are viewed by the rest of the world.

Chamlou, the World Bank's lead coordinator on gender for the Middle East and North Africa region, says—contrary to popular belief—women in the region have been successful in bridging the gender gap in education and health."I think many are still captured by the image of women in the Middle East and North Africa as uneducated," she says. "Women in the Middle East have made tremendous progress. […] But that has not translated into a big advance in the numbers of women in the workforce. The participation of women in the workforce in the MENA region is among the lowest in the world—making it one of the key gender challenges for the region.”

“The importance given to women’s issues is not just because they are citizens with the same rights and duties as men. Studies and research have shown that women are the most deprived segment of society in the areas of education, health, cultural services, vocational training and public participation. Yet, women are required to work and often work hard. One fifth of the Egyptian families are supported by women, most of whom are deprived of the rights of citizenship.The development of women is not separate from the development of their societies. It is not possible for women to obtain enhanced rights in a society that refuses and fights these rights. Women’s fight for their rights is integral to their fight towards the development of their societies and the changing of its misconceptions, as well as their resistance to thoughts that do not reflect the spirit of our times and defy the religious values.” (H.E Suzanne Mubarak, president of the National Council for Women, Egypt)

Good Governance in Egypt

“The growing pressure of reform: Policy in Egypt has been planned and implemented with no adequate participation from non-governmental institutions, or bodies representing civil society from the private sector (e.g. chambers of commerce, investors’ associations) or labour unions and consumer associations (Ashour, 2002), or indeed, from local public units. However, experience from other countries has shown that stakeholders’ involvement in executive decision making at all levels promotes good governance, reduces the scope for arbitrary central government decisions, improves bureaucratic performance and predictability, and reduces uncertainty and the cost of doing business.” (Egypt Human Development Report 2004: “Choosing Decentralization for Good Governance”)